Russia and India should speed up work on their joint fifth-generation
fighter plane to meet the challenge from the Chinese rival unveiled
earlier this week, said a leading military expert.

“The Chinese prototype of a fifth-generation aircraft, J-20, appears to
be a long-range strike aircraft and as such it will pose a potential
threat to India,” said analyst Konstantin Makienko of the Moscow-based
Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST).

China's stealth fighter made its first 15-minute flight on Tuesday over
an airfield in the south-western city of Chengdu. Mr. Makienko called
the test flight an “unquestionable success” for the Chinese defence
industry.
“China has emerged as the third nation developing the fifth-generation
fighter plane after the U.S. and Russia,” he told The Hindu.
The Russian expert said India and Russia should intensify efforts to
build their advanced fighter plane if they are not to lose the race to
China.
“The J-20 fighter will be a direct rival of the Russian-Indian
fifth-generation aircraft. The Chinese plane will be ready by 2020, so
time will be a crucial factor.”

The Russian prototype, T-50, made its first flight a year ago. India
joined the project only last month when the two sides signed a contract
for the preliminary design of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft to
be called Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF).

India will contribute about 30 per cent of the plane's total design by
providing composite material components, some avionics, electronic
warfare systems and cockpit displays. Indian designers will also be
responsible for re-modelling Russia's single-seat fighter into a
two-seater version for the IAF.

The PMF planes are expected to start rolling out around 2017, but delays cannot be ruled out, judging by past experience.
The fifth-generation fighter will be the first Indo-Russian aviation project that will be marketed in third countries.

The Russian Center for Analysis of International Weapons Trade estimates the global market for the PMF at over 400 planes.
“In order to retain its competitive edge the Russian-Indian
fifth-generation fighter should enter global markets before the Chinese
plane and cap its price at $80-100 million per aircraft,” the Russian
expert said.
To rival China's new stealth jet